Fallout from G20 continues

G20 commanders committed misconduct, reports conclude, May 18

The police will often say, “We acted appropriately given the situation.” Yes, the G20 placed extraordinary demands on many, and many paid a price. However, long before the violent Black Bloc destroyed our property, senior government and police officials agreed to abuse an ancient fence law for their own purposes knowing they could tolerate the fallout. How did we let things get so out of hand that those elected and those in uniform with gun and badge feel so comfortable ignoring our rights, our laws and our Charter? Are we comfortable living in a society where the police feel they have all the answers, and the laws, the courts and accountability are obstacles for them to manoeuvre around? It appears so considering the G20 debacle, a black stain on Canada’s history, wasn’t even a blip on the radar during the last provincial election. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

Jeff Green, Toronto

If it’s predictable it’s preventable, and that was surely the case with the G20 fiasco in Toronto. The federal government was ultimately responsible for the safety and security of its citizens when it chose to host the G20 in downtown Toronto despite the history of violence that has always been associated with these events. Why would you put a city like Toronto and its citizens in harm’s way when there were so many other more appropriate places in the country to hold it? Yet we don’t hear a word about the people who were ultimately responsible for bringing this circus into town; they are quite content to keep their collective heads down and let the chief of police in Toronto take the flak. The anarchists, Black Bloc, terrorists and other assorted malcontents must be laughing all the way to their next riot.

Rod Perrin, Mississauga

Please allow just one token of support for those in blue. The police were responding to precedence. These summits were known to attract organized groups who recognize no boundaries regarding violence and property damage. In anticipation of this, the Toronto police built themselves a great big fort for everyone to see — the ultimate deterrent. And it worked. We did not have the mass violence on the scale of Seattle. No police officers or members of the public were seriously injured. These were extraordinary circumstances and should not reflect on the day-to-day conduct of the police. I think the public realizes this, which is why the Toronto police and Chief Bill Blair are still held in high regard.

Mike Harper, Phelpston

Although there was outrageous misconduct in the policing of the G20 in Toronto two years ago, we must remember that the Toronto police did not invent these tactics — they are standard procedure not only in Canada but in the U.S. and Britain. At the 1997 Vancouver APEC summit people were detained in advance and many people were pepper sprayed and kettled. We need a wider inquiry into why we have essentially allowed protest to become defined as unlawful, and why critical speech has been criminalized. We have already reached the point of arresting anyone in black T-shirts and bandanas.